Poon delivers for Winling

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Winling took a 2-1 lead in the A1 Division League play-off finals after a thrilling 77-76 victory in game three at the MacPherson Stadium yesterday.

The score was tied at 76-76 with only 30 seconds left when Winling point guard Poon Chi-ho made a free throw to give his side a 77-76 lead. Fukien still had a chance to win with their last possession but forward Li Wai-lun, who had spent most of the game on the bench, was stopped by Winling defenders before he could launch his shot.

The narrow victory gave Winling, who won game one but lost game two, a slight edge in the best-of-five series with game four scheduled for Tuesday.

A jubilant Poon paid tribute to his team's spirit, saying they never gave up despite trailing by a big margin in the second and third periods.

'At that stage, we told ourselves that we could still win the game if we passed the ball better and found more shooting chances. With a strong team spirit, we prevailed at the end of the day,' said Poon. 'I am sure our morale will help us make it through the next game and clinch the overall title.'

Poon, who used to play in the Chinese Basketball Association, scored 34 points in 38 minutes of action. That tally included seven three-pointers, of which four came in the last quarter.

Fukien only had themselves to blame as they looked set for a comfortable win when leading 44-31 at half-time. They extended that advantage to 15 points at 48-33 in the opening stages of the third period, but failed to maintain their momentum.

They were still leading by eight points entering the final quarter, but Winling out-scored their opponents 28-19 to clinch victory.